Weekly Mantra: Chewing Gum To Deal With Stress

IN BRIEF: In this post Professional Counsellor Shaifali offers insight into why and how CHEWING GUM can reduce STRESS LEVELS. Some further reading sources are included too.

We often face situations when we feel stressed out and are unable to handle, also our mind goes completely blank. Exams, interviews, date, social gathering etc. Such situations keep cropping up, can we always run away from them? No!

So What To Do?

Here is a small easy tip for you to handle your nervousness and anxiety – When approaching a situation where you know you can lose control, try chewing gum as if we are ‘eating’ something. Our brains consider it as a non-threatening situation and it gets tricked if you do so.

When we are eating our brain takes it as “I would not be eating if I were in danger. So I’m not in danger’. This can help you to stay calm and to think in order to handle the situation.

A 2008 study led by Australian researcher Andrew Scholey, a professor of behavioural and brain sciences at Swinburne University in Melbourne, showed that gum chewing reduced the stress hormone cortisol in study participants. They reported feeling less stressed and more alert.

Benefits Of Chewing Gum

• Gum has some benefits over other stress-reduction techniques.
• It is inexpensive, readily available and is acceptable to chew almost anywhere.
• Other people may notice and be annoyed if you close your eyes for a quick meditation during a stressful meeting or conversation, and you may not have enough time for exercise or yoga after a bad day. You can easily and subtly slip a piece of gum into your mouth in most circumstances.
• The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension office advises that sugar-free gum may prevent stress-related weight gain by acting as a substitute for snacking when you are agitated.

Here Are More Resources For Further Reading

• How Chewing Gum Relieves Stress
• Quick Tip: Chew Gum to Relieve Stress | Men’s Fitness
• Does Chewing Gum Reduce Anxiety?